Libraries Thriving Through COVID-19 and Beyond

The John Bulow Campbell Library has become more than a resource for students and alumni

By DR. KELLY D. CAMPBELL, Associate Dean for Information Services; Director of John Bulow Campbell Library

This spring, as the world began to grapple with the global COVID-19 pandemic, theological institutions and, by extension, theological librarians and libraries started to make a paradigm shift in their delivery systems. While some institutions were surprised by the changes needed and not well-prepared to make such a dramatic shift, theological libraries and librarians were, dare I say it, excited for the opportunity to demonstrate their value and skills. Historically, theological librarians and libraries have been mainly considered (and in some cases still are) support for the institution or financially necessary to fill a service within the institutional structure; however, theological librarians have viewed their professional calling and responsibility quite differently for some time. The global COVID-19 pandemic allowed theological librarians and libraries to advocate for change in many theological institutions’ perceptions and perceived value of theological libraries and librarians.

In this time of unknowns, theological libraries and theological librarians have risen to the challenge of pivoting to online teaching. The library became a focal point, not just as an educational resource but also as an institutional/infrastructural resource and partner. Theological faculty and students suddenly discovered electronic library collections that had been developed but then underutilized. Ebooks for course reserves became critically important. Theological librarians are being sought out as technological partners in helping faculty develop and deliver their courses online. Learning Management Systems were demystified for students and faculty because librarians were already familiar with them and regularly utilized this type of software.

Furthermore, publishers gathered necessary resources and started providing them to theological libraries almost immediately without any long discussions between librarians and publishers. Also, publishers expanded their “behind the paywall” collections to help partner with theological librarians and libraries. Access, which has long been a value of theological librarians, became a higher priority than the size of collections and access to quality information and resources. The changes and adaptations took place in theological libraries with relative ease. How did this happen?

As libraries and librarians successfully dealt with the change, one reason for their success is due to their perceptions of their role as theological librarians and the professional skills in fulfilling that role. Access has been a primary focus of theological libraries and librarians for several years, contrasting with the old “counting the numbers” methodology. Quality and engaging interactions with faculty and students are a better measure of a library and a librarian’s effectiveness though they are harder to quantify and market for theological institutions. “Our library has 500,000 materials” is much easier to use in marketing bylines than “our theological librarians are partnering with you (the student) each step of the way in your theological journey.”

A second reason theological librarians are surviving and thriving in changing times is that they know the value of collaboration. Through cooperative agreements, theological libraries are connected and prepared to share, collaborate, and support each other to partner together for faculty and students. Theological librarians have seen the library as a place without four walls for decades. Collaboration mixed with collegiality is a powerful combination in difficult times. In other words, COVID-19 has allowed theological libraries and theological librarians to become a “partner” of theological institutions in the educational process instead of just offering a service or support.

This concept of the library as a partner in the educational process was raised over sixteen years ago by Timothy D. Lincoln. In his essay “What’s A Seminary Library For?” from Theological Education (vol. 40, No. 1, 2004) Dr. Lincoln made this precise argument.

Knowing the over-arching purpose of a seminary library is important for seminary leaders as they allocate scarce resources of money and personnel. After briefly reviewing the role of libraries in recent literature of theological education, this article argues that seminary libraries do more than preserve classic Christian texts and assist patrons in finding information. The services of seminary libraries are important to the broad education of ministerial students. Thus understood, librarians are educators who should be partners in all discussions of teaching and learning and decisions about library budgets are not educationally neutral.

Hopefully, this recent shift in theological institutions’ perceptions of global libraries and theological librarians will remain after this immediate “new reality” fades. The shared new reality that the library has become a focal point, not just as an educational resource but also an institutional/infrastructural resource and partner, is too vital of a paradigm shift to return to “normal.”